Dream Lover
by ChishionoTenshi
Summary: The girl of Kurt's dreams appears. Literally. Now Kurt finds himself caught in the middle of the weirdest family feud ever. And of course, he drags the rest of the X-men along for the ride.
1. Author's Note and Disclaimer

Author's Note/Disclaimer:  
  
Title: Dream Lover  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution. Marvel, and someone else owns it. I do own Li, Koori, Taimi, and Dr. Hayashi.  
  
Note: This will be both fluffy, and angsty. I promise no lemons, and only a hint of lemon. Mostly, this will be fluffy. All say YAY! Because angst can get you down too much. Maybe there will be some death later. We'll see.  
  
Characters(those unknown to you):  
  
Li (also known as Li Schrimer)- Ice (ice manipulation, and absorbtion)  
  
Taimi (Schrimer)- Frost (ice manipulation)  
  
Koori- Glacier (mental creation and manipulation of ice)  
  
Dr. Akiko Hayashi- Unnamed (genetic manipulation/ machine manipulation)  
  
Summary: The girl of Kurt's dreams appears. Literally. Now Kurt fionds himself caught in the middle of the weirdest family feud ever. And of course, he drags the rest of the X-men along for the ride. 


	2. Nightmares

Kurt turned over in his bed, thinking. All right, so he was not the best student, or the best in battle simulations, but there had to be something he was good at. Scaring Kitty did not count, because he did not do that on purpose. Frowning at himself, Kurt sat up and looked out the window.  
  
Teleporting did not count either, because he had not met anyone else with that particular talent. Well, then Kurt had to admit he was not particularly good at anything. Feeling pretty grumpy, Kurt threw himself back against his pillow and tried to sleep. Tomorrow he could work on figuring out what he was good at.  
  
When Kurt closed his eyes, he was convinced he would get to sleep pretty soon. He was exhausted after a long day at school, and then training. It would be so much better if he could just pretend that none of it existed for the next eight hours.  
  
*Please, stop! Please, it was not her fault!* screamed a girl's voice. One that was vaguely familiar to him.  
  
Kurt sat up, and looked around. There was no girl in his room. Then, where had that voice come from? Listening intently, Kurt waited to hear more. The seconds ticked by on his clock, and Kurt slowly relaxed.  
  
"Maybe I was just imagining it." Kurt laid back down in his bed, and in a few more minutes he was asleep.  
  
***  
  
*Let her go!* the voice begged. Jean looked around, trying to see what was going on. Her eyes fell on a little girl, tied to her bedpost. She had short black hair and large brown eyes.  
  
*No! Please!* Jean tried to see who was speaking, but her eyes did not leave the figure of the little girl. Shadows seemed to advance on the child, who was crying.  
  
*Stop!* The shadows became people, who were armed with knives, and swords. One of them grabbed the girl's hands and hauled them over her head. Another, so well disguised Jean would never be able to identify them, took a knife and slowly began cutting the child's wrists.  
  
*Please! Let her go! Please!* The voice was screaming now, and Jean could understand her panic. The little girl was gagged when she began to scream. Jean watched in horror as the girl was tormented, but kept alive. They covered her with blood, and seemed to take grim satisfaction in the fact that the child could not resist. Jean's vision became blurry, as if she was crying.  
  
*Leave her alone! Punish me! Please!* A figure turned to regard Jean. She wanted to shrink away.  
  
*This is your punishment. The beginning of it.* Looking over at the girl, Jean saw her turn pleading eyes upwards at her, or the person who Jean could not see. The figure turned back and slit the child's throat. Jean screamed along with the voice.  
  
*No!*  
  
"Jean!" Startled out of her dream, Jean almost threw her clock across the room. Professor Xavier placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to-"  
  
"I know Jean. I heard it too. Perhaps we should discuss this." Jean nodded.  
  
"It was so horrible. Who were those people? And who was-"  
  
"Jean, according to the clock you almost threw at the door, it is three o'clock in the morning. You have school in five hours. Sleep for now, and after school, perhaps I will have located the mutant in question."  
  
"Mutant, professor?" Jean questioned.  
  
"I will tell you after school, Jean," Xavier promised. "Now, try to get some sleep. If I remember correctly, you have a History test."  
  
Jean fell back against her pillows with a groan. 


	3. Strange Occurences and School

A/N: I'm seriously thinking on your lemon suggestion. Promise to get back to you on that soon. We'll see what progress I make.  
  
"And in other news this morning, Silas Morton and his daughter, Myra, were found murdered. A maid discovered them when she came in to wake the daughter. Police are still speculating as to how the murderer got past the security system of the Morton house. Other details about the murders are still vague.   
  
"Silas Morton was a well-known mutant advocate, and owner of Silas Corporation, the company which holds the patent for the genetic coding machine. With Silas now gone, the corportaion will reportedly pass into the hands of Dr. Akiko Hayashi, a little known scientist who has worked for the company for over thirty years."  
  
"Somebody turn that off," Logan grumbled.  
  
"That's really depressing this early in the morning," Kitty grumbled into her cereal. Rogue gave her a disdainful look.  
  
"That's life," Rogue told her. "Bet you anything that Hayashi had Silas bumped off."  
  
"That is so terrible!" Kitty protested.  
  
"But you know she would sure think about it. I mean, she was only one step from dominating this company. The kid probably just got in the way, so she had to have them both offed."  
  
"You are sick!"  
  
"At least I don't talk with my mouth full."  
  
"I don't talk about killing people so calmly!"  
  
"Cut it out, you two," Scott told them. "The last thing we need is a cat fight this early."  
  
Kurt walked in and grinned cheerfully at everyone. Kitty stuck her tongue out at Rogue, who turned her back. Chuckling, Kurt got himself some cereal.  
  
"What are you so happy about, Kurt? I thought you had a big History test today," Kitty pointed out. Kurt grinned.  
  
"No, that is Jean. I have a test in my science class, but that is not why I am happy."  
  
"Then what is making you smile like that, sugar?" Rogue asked.  
  
"No reason," Kurt answered, gulping down the last of his cereal and hurrying out. Rogue started laughing.  
  
"What?" Kitty asked, standing up to put her bowl in the sink.  
  
"I think he's got himself a girl again," Rogue told her. "He was blushing when he left."  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"He turns a little purple in the cheeks. Come on, sugar, we'll be late." Behind them, the television continued speaking,  
  
"Also, a young girl has been reported missing. Her name is Li Schrimer, and she was reported missing very early this morning. If anyone knows her whereabouts, they are to please contact the Silas Corporation."  
  
***  
  
"So, Jean, how did the history test go?" Scott asked. Jean groaned and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"I think I completely failed it. I just couldn't concentrate after last night."  
  
"What was last night?" Scott looked confused. Jean sighed.  
  
"I'll tell you later, okay? I don't want to be late to class." Jean headed off down the hallway, because she had a Chemistry class, and one that she was barely scraping through this quarter. All this X-Men business was really interfering with her grades.  
  
She supposed that no one else was doing any better. Judging from the last round of report cards, no one was going to do more than scrape by, except for Kurt. Somehow he was getting above average grades.  
  
"Although, he has known he was a mutant a lot longer than any of us," Jean muttered to herself. With a sigh, she slid into her seat and pulled out her Chemistry notebook.  
  
If anyone could blame Jean for anything, it was not for sloppy notes. Her notebook was almost full, with sidenotes about what exactly the desired reaction would look like, and how long it had taken to achieve the results.  
  
Her teacher, Miss Klenstein, knew that Jean was an 'A' student, and she was forever getting on Jean's case about her work. Today, it seemed, would be no exception. As soon as Jean began to finish her homework, Miss Klenstein walked over to her desk.  
  
"Jean, why didn't you finish that last night?"  
  
"I fell asleep on it," Jean answered truthfully. She showed her the smudging. Miss Klenstein sighed.  
  
"Jean, you need to do something about your study habits. You should do this first thing when you get home." Miss Klenstein tapped Jean's homework.  
  
"I will today," Jean promised, hoping no one would notice her crossed fingers. She just had a lot on her mind lately, and being an X-man meant you had to put something on the back burner. For a while, it would be her studies.  
  
Being a doctor was going to be a lot harder than Jean had originally thought. 


	4. Coincidence

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I've been REALLY busy with Summer term. So much to do! So much to learn! @.@ But here's another chapter for you all to devour!  
  
"Come on, Kurt, who is it? You can tell us," Kitty insisted, hanging on Kurt's arm. Rogue made assenting noises. Kurt flushed, but shook his head.  
  
"No, I cannot."  
  
"It's not a. . . guy is it?" Rogue asked, making a face.  
  
"No, it is not a guy!" Kurt gasped, horrified that they would ever think that of him. Kitty burst out laughing.  
  
"Now, that was priceless." Kurt humphed at her, and turned away to continue walking back to the Institute.  
  
"Why can't you tell us, sugar?" Rogue asked. Kurt scowled fiercly and marched a little faster. How could he tell them that the girl they were referring to was just a dream? She was pretty- angelic, even- but she was not real.  
  
"Touchy," Kitty remarked, and then she and Rogue started arguing about some assignment. Kurt breathed a sigh a relief, and looked up at sky.  
  
He had met her a few weeks ago. She was just sitting on the floor, humming to herself, and playing with a strand of pure white hair. Surprised, Kurt had asked her who she was. When she turned around, she nailed him with those piercing blue eyes.  
  
"I'm Li," she had told him in a soft voice. "Who are you?"  
  
"Wagner. Kurt Wagner," Kurt had answered when he found his tongue again. She tilted her head very slightly to the left, and asked,  
  
"Why do you have two names?" From there on, Kurt had seen her almost every night. Last night she had been sad: crying so much that he simply had to hold her. It was strange that she could cry, because Kurt had never seen her smile. She had not even said anything.  
  
"Whoa, Earth to Kurt! Walking across the street generally requires that you check the crosswalk light first!" Kitty caught Kurt's back pack and hauled him back onto the sidewalk.  
  
"Danke. I guess I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"You sure weren't," Rogue agreed. "The institute is this way."  
  
This was certainly one Kurt was not going to live down. If only he could share with them how incredible Li was. Even if she was just a dream, and nothing real. Strange, though. Kurt had never had a dream that repeated like this one. Or one with a character that was so well developed, even though he had never seen her in real life. Maybe this meant something. As of yet, Professor Xavier told him he was not sure of the cause of these dreams.  
  
Kitty practically hauled him up the front steps, because Kurt did not want to go inside, and head back to reality. Professor Xavier was waiting for them at the front door. Almost at once Evan said,  
  
"Whatever it was, I didn't do it." The other three kids looked at him suspiciously.  
  
"No, you are right. This time you did not. Please come in. I need to brief you all on a situation that came to my attention last night."  
  
Professor Xavier led the into the rec room, and they all took a seat. Kurt chose to sit in the window seat, because he was not very excited by the prospect of another mission. Logan was there too, and that meant a very important mission. Ororo gave her nephew a sidelong glance, which told him she had heard what Evan had said on the porch.  
  
"Good, I see that we are all here. Last night, Jean and I shared a dream that I believe came from a young mutant. Unfortunately, this mutant is being held captive currently. Yes, Jean, I found her location using Cerebro."  
  
"So, she is a girl?"  
  
"Yes. I'm afraid I could get little more information with Cerebro. The facility where she is being held is heavily guarded, and it will take quite a bit of cunning to get her out of there. Kurt, you are going to be every important in this mission."  
  
"So that means no clowning around," Scott warned. Kurt made a face.  
  
"I can be serious," Kurt insisted.  
  
"Yes, you can," Professor Xavier agreed. "That is why I am trusting the most important part of the mission to you. You are to go inside the cell and retrieve the mutant. Her name is Li."  
  
Coincidence, Kurt convinced himself before he could fall out of the window seat. Professor Xavier outlined the rest of the plan as breifly as he could. As they suited up, Kurt wondered how much of this really was coincidence. 


	5. United

AN: And now we meet Kurt's dream girl! This chapter switches viewpoints, marked by the ***  
  
Li lay against the heated wall, trying to find a cool spot somewhere. Despite the knowledge that they just might kill her this time, she remained calm. Would death not be the welcome release she had hoped for all these years? And after that little girl. . .  
  
Li intentionally cracked her head against the wall. How could she have been so stupid? To think that they would forgive her for not completing an assignment was ludicrous. There was no forgiveness amoungst those of the Night Rain. Dr. Hayashi might not even look for her. Or would she?  
  
After all, Hayashi had not asked for Night Rain to terminate Silas Morton. Why would she do that, when Hayashi had all the freedom without any of the responsibility? That was how she had been able to create Li, and her sister, Taimi, without the government getting in the way. Taimi had come first, and so was considered the inferior model. Unlike Li, however, Taimi did not even think about killing.  
  
"It was always so easy for you," Li murmured softly, even though Taimi was most likely not listening. Her breathing was becoming labored, and she could not see very well. To keep herself conscious, Li forced herself to do a run through of her injuries.  
  
Two broken ribs, and a broken arm. Her legs had been cut up as badly as possible, to prevent Li from running. Running to where, she wondered? She was fairly certain beyond the complex there was nothing but forest. It would easy enough to catch her. Besides those other injuries, she was bruised all over, and she had cracked her head against the wall enough times to make it leak.  
  
Plus it was hot in here, and she could feel herself slowly melting. Sinking down to sit in a miserable huddle, Li wondered what made her believe she could die quickly. These people knew all of her weaknesses, and they would make it last as long as they could.  
  
Even though Li was very much awake, she imagined Kurt's face. He had been a very nice dream; one that had not left her. But he was not real, and she could expect no rescue from her death. In this real world, there were no miracles.  
  
Still, with her eyes closed, and opening only when she forced them, Li could picture his face clearly. He was not exactly human, but neither was she. He even had a history that sounded so confusing, it could only be true. Li wondered how she had conjured this boy up from the depths of her mind. And with such regularity. It made her wonder, even as she lay dying.  
  
"Li?" Now she truly was almost dead. She could hear his voice. Perhaps she had slipped into unconsciousness. All she had to do was relax a bit father, and she would die. No more pain, no more suffering, and no more loss of innocent life she should have protected.  
  
"Li, can you hear me?" Startled by the repeated call, Li opened her eyes and found herself staring into Kurt's yellow eyes.  
  
"Oh, I must be very close to death." To her irritation, Kurt grinned.  
  
"You're not dead. But it's a little hot in here. Let's go somewhere colder." He reached out and wrapped her in his embrace. A little startled by the familiarity of the touch, Li almost pushed away. Suddenly, they were in the hall outside of her personal hell. Li looked at Kurt, very much confused. Was that a miracle?  
  
The cool of the air compared to her cell made her feel weak. She needed help to walk. Kurt gently slipped an arm around her ribs. It was unfortunate that the action hurt, because it felt nice to be held and supported. Even if this was a dream, it would be one Li would savor for as long as she might.  
  
***  
  
If Kurt remembered, he was going to kill Professor Xavier. He must have known that this Li, and the one in his dreams were one and the same. But how had she reached him in his dreams? That was not her talent, according to his dreams. Were they both so desperate?  
  
Shoving aside this chain of thought, Kurt supported Li as he forced her to walk to where they were supposed to meet the rest of the team. Even though he could have teleported them to the meeting place, he did not want to chance leaving something important behind. This place was not as familiar to him as the Institute.  
  
"Are you all right?" he heard himself ask for the fifth time. If anyone was desperate, it was him. Li glanced up at him, and gave him a searching look. Kurt hoped he looked sincere.  
  
"I will be," she promised him. He watched her face as she placed on foot in front of the other stubbornly. Judging from the look of her legs, face, and arms, Li was not all right now. Still, he could do nothing until they managed to get her out of this place.  
  
"There you are! We have been waiting for five minutes!" Scott complained. Li looked up at Scott, and for a moment, Kurt thought he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Even Jean frowned, as though she sensed something from Li.  
  
"He saved me, which I am beginning to believe may have been the purpose of your visit. I think you could wait for minutes, if it meant the completion of your objective," Li told Scott firmly, her voice mimicking her talent.  
  
Scott's jaw dropped and he gaped like a fish. Rogue, who was safely behind Scott, grinned. Logan seemed to be midly amused, and Kitty smothered her smile. Smiling, Jean motioned for Kurt to bring Li closer. When he did, she made a quick inspection of Li's injuries.  
  
"Well, you aren't dead yet. But we had better get going." Kurt nodded in agreement with Jean, and moved to lift Li a little higher up. She was slowly sagging, despite the arm around his shoulders.  
  
Abruptly, Li closed her eyes, and started to fall straight down. Logan helped Kurt support her. Kurt gave Logan a panicked look. The older man sniffed her, and nodded at Kurt.  
  
"She just fainted. Come on." Logan headed towards the exit. Kitty looked amused, and whispered to Kurt as she passed,  
  
"Your girlfriend is pretty cute." He glared at Kitty's back, but continued carrying Li out the exit. Later, he could get back at Kitty.  
  
Kitty stopped suddenly in front of him, making Kurt stop. The other X-Men were fanned out in front of the exit. Peering around Kitty, Kurt saw a young woman standing in their way. She gave a cold smile, and dropped into a fighting stance.  
  
"Bring it on," Logan challenged. The girl flipped elegantly three times. On her third landing, however, she tilted dangerously forward and slammed face-first into the pavement. The group looked at each other, unsure of whether to laugh, or run. They decided to run. 


	6. Things That Go Crunch

AN: All right, I went back and changed this chapter in bits, because I didn't like it very much. I just added some details. Nothing too major. Helping the flow and all that.  
  
Slowly, Li came back to conciousness. She was greeted by Jean, who had been gently bandaging her head. The sensation of having a bandage wound around her scalp made her feel almost like she ought to laugh. However, it still hurt, and so she winced instead.  
  
"I didn't mean to wake you. How do you feel?" Jean asked at once.  
  
"I am very warm," Li told her, making an attempt to sit up, but taking her time. Jean helped her into a sitting position, and took her temperature.  
  
"You're only fifty-two degrees!" Jean exclaimed. Li gave her an appraising look, and told her,  
  
"My optimum temperature is thirty-two degrees." Li took Jean's stare in stride. The normal temperature for a human was ninety-eight point six degrees. However, Li was less than human.  
  
"Oh. Well. . . How can we bring your temperature down?" Grateful for Jean's quick acceptance, Li replied,  
  
"If you have ice, I require some." Jean nodded, unsure of what that meant.  
  
"I will be back in a minute. Take it easy, though. They did a number on you." Li gave Jean a puzzled look as she left. Pulling up her shirt, Li tried to find the number Jean was talking about. With a sigh, Li placed a finger on her wrist and let the ice trace over her body to try and find a number on her body.  
  
A cough made Li look up. She found herself staring into Kurt's yellow eyes. Instead of being surprised, Li merely gave him a curious look. His normally blue cheeks were closer to purple.  
  
"Li. . ."  
  
"Yes?" Li asked him, following his gaze downwards. He was staring at her belly.  
  
"Where is your bellybutton?" Kurt pointed towards the middle of her white belly. Curious, Li made a face.  
  
"My what?"  
  
"Er. . . your bellybutton comes from when you were a baby. When you are in your mother's belly, you are connected to your mother by a cord. But when you are born, they cut the cord, and it falls off, leaving your bellybutton. See?"   
  
To demonstrate, Kurt lifted up his shirt and showed her an indentation in his stomach. Li reached out and touched his "bellybutton." Kurt jerked away from her and let his shirt drop back into place. Startled, Li asked,  
  
"Does it still hurt?"  
  
"No, no! It just tickles." Before Li could ask how "tickles" felt, Jean reappeared with a bowl of ice.  
  
"Here's the ice. Oh, hello Kurt."  
  
"Guten Tag," Kurt replied, as Jean handed Li the bowl.  
  
"Thank you," Li told her. She placed a hand on the bowl and absorbed the ice. The ice spread quickly inside her veins, and Li felt much better. Kurt and Jean were staring at her.  
  
"I guess your talent has something to do with ice?" Jean questioned. With a nod, Li closed her eyes to do a small appraisal of her current needs. It helped her concentrate.  
  
Her ice tracing told her that with some time, her legs would be back to normal. For the moment, she iced over all of her cuts lightly. That would keep them from leaking precious water. The ribs and arm she could not help for the moment. They had to be set, and she was not certain anyone here was licensed to help her with such a task. As for the bruising, and her cracked head, those would go fairly quickly.  
  
"I need to set your arm," Jean told Li. "I haven't done this in a while, so-"  
  
"Would you hold it down?" Li asked her, before Jean could dig herself further into a hole. Jean took hold of Li's wrist, and was startled when Li snapped her bone back into its proper place. The look on Kurt's face was very intriguing, and Li supposed he was not pleased by her actions.  
  
"I think it will be fine now," Li told Jean. "My ribs can be re-aligned later. I can do that on my own."  
  
"Oh. . . Are you sure you won't hurt yourself?" Jean asked, looking concerned. Mentally Li sighed, and prepared to do the setting herself. It had to be done, after all.  
  
"I have done this many times before. I will be fine," Li assured a stunned Jean. Kurt blinked, and finally recovered his composure enough to ask,  
  
"Shouldn't Jean help you? Just in case you get hurt. . ."  
  
He trailed off as Li inserted a finger in her throat. There was an interesting crunching noise as Li used her talent to push her ribs back into place, and then to bind them there. Jean winced, but managed to ask,  
  
"So, anyone hungry?" 


	7. Little Sister, Big Sister

An: It's been awhile, so I decided to update. Here's a fun chapter from a different perspective.  
  
Taimi frowned as she surveyed the grounds. So many little children. How could children have gotten her sister and held her hostage? Something about this stank.  
  
Then she saw him. The boy that had been carrying her sister. He was playing around on the grass. How could these people have taken Li? Was she not a better fighter than Taimi? Enough questions, she decided. She would get this one, and make him tell her where Li was.  
  
She jumped down from the tree, with every intent to throw the first punch. She thought for a moment she had heard her sister's voice, and then she found herself staring into her sister's blue eyes. Paused in confusion, Taimi came to the realization that her sister had blocked the blow she had intended to land on the fuzzy blue kid.  
  
"Li, what are you doing?" Taimi demanded, sticking to Japanese in case these people were listening.  
  
"Stopping you from hurting my friend," Li told her calmly. Startled, Taimi glanced around her to the blue boy sitting there looking equally shocked.  
  
"Your friend?" Taimi asked incredulously. "But he kidnapped you-"  
  
"He did not. I asked him to rescue me. The Night Rain was intent upon killing me for my failure. Surely you knew. . ." Li searched her face, and looked surprised for a moment.  
  
"They did not tell me of any plans, beyond a small punishment, Li. Perhaps you did not read them right," Taimi began, but Li was shaking her head fiercly.  
  
"They meant to kill me, Taimi. The Night Rain may have forgiven you because of a flaw in your system, but I have no such flaw. Therefore I have no excuse. You know no free thought is allowed. I was expected to complete a task and I failed."  
  
"They would never simply kill you for something like that!" Taimi protested. What was going on? Why did she want to believe Li more than she wanted to believe herself?  
  
"They did not merely kill me. They murdered a small child in front of me, tore my ligaments, broke my arm, and my ribs, and then put me in the heated room with the intent to melt me to death. I believe that counts as intent to murder, Taimi."  
  
"I cannot. . . I do not believe you- you know I cannot, Li."  
  
"I never asked you to, Taimi. You have always been with them on such matters." When Li turned away from her Taimi felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. This was her baby sister. How could she turn her away when she clearly needed her support?  
  
"Little sister," Taimi began gently, "I cannot believe you. But I do. I should go and tell them I could not find you."  
  
"I will be alone. Please do not go!" Li begged. The blue fuzzy boy had come up and was now standing protectively close to Li. Amused, Taimi told her gently,  
  
"I do not think you will be so alone. Your boyfriend will protect you."  
  
"My. . ?" Li would have blushed if that was possible for her. "He is not my boyfriend. He is just a friend."  
  
"He is a boy and your friend," Taimi teased. Seeing her sister looking more uncomfortable she told her, "I have to go. It would not be good to be caught with you when I could not find you."  
  
"Write me?" Li asked softly.  
  
"I do not think that I will have the opportunity. But if I do, I will write," Taimi promised, hating to see that crushed look in her sister's eyes. She hugged her once, quickly.  
  
"I hope I will see you again," Li whispered into her sister's embrace. Taimi wanted to sigh and scold her sister for getting sentimental. They were to be assassins. You could not become too attached.  
  
"Take good care of my baby sister, or else," Taimi instructed the boy in English. Li was unamused, but Taimi did not care. Someone would have to acknowledge that boy's feelings, even if Li would not.  
  
"Bye," Taimi told her sister, and was up and over the wall before the blue boy could blink. Li was wrong about that one. He was her boyfriend. . . in his mind, and heart. All that would matter to a human. 


	8. The Carnival

An: This is a really long chapter with a lot of action. Hope you're all up for it.  
  
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Evan asked for the fifth time. "I mean, a carnival is fun and all but, well, taking her too?"  
  
Li seemed to be ignoring him completely, but Kurt kept glaring at him. Why did he have to be so rude? All right, so Li was not exactly socially acceptable, but she had spent all of her life trapped alone with crazy scientists! That was not her fault, and Kurt was certain as long as he stuck close to her nothing exciting would happen.  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"If you ask one more time, Evan, I'm gonna plaster your face against the car window!" Rogue snapped. Somehow, it had been her rotten luck to end up sitting next to Evan. She shot glares at him repeatedly.  
  
"Yeah, lighten up Evan. It's the carnival! People are always acting weird there!" Kitty pointed out. She was excited, and there would be no holding her back once they got to the good rides.  
  
"You do have the tickets, right Jean?"  
  
"For the last time, yes!" Jean snapped at Scott. Right now they were in that not happy place. Scott had said something at breakfast, and Jean told him to mind his own business. Whatever it was, Kurt had not heard. It seemed like he was the only one.  
  
Li seemed uninterested in the whole affair. In fact, Kurt had yet to tease even the tiniest smile out of her. Especially since her "sister" had shown up and called Kurt something that made Li turn very pale. At first Kurt had thought she was scared, but after a while, he had decided that may be Li's way of blushing. She did not have red blood cells, after all.  
  
It had been a sunny day, and Kurt was outside playing around on the grass. He admitted privately that he had been showing off for Li, who was watching him in the shade of one the big trees. The attack was very abrupt, but somehow Li had gotten in front of him before the girl who Li referred to as her sister could hit him.  
  
Whatever it was they had said, Kurt did not know, because almost the entire conversation was in a foreign language. The last part, that completely confused him, involved Li's "sister" turning to look at him.  
  
"Take good care of my baby sister, or else." She had added some threatening fist shaking, and then turned and left. Li told him simply that Taimi, her sister, was very protective of her. The reason she had come was because she had thought the X-Men had captured Li, and were holding her hostage.  
  
"She is merely enthusiastic. . . and clumsy." Kurt had realized then that Taimi was the same girl who had tried to stop them when they were leaving. No wonder Li called her clumsy. Glancing out the window of the car, Kurt was startled to see they were already in the parking lot outside of the carnival.  
  
"All right," Scott said, as he parked the car. "Here's the rules: No powers, and we stick together. So try to pick out rides that are close together."  
  
"All right!" came the chorus from the children, except for Li, who didn't seem to be paying much attention. Kurt caught her hand and squeezed it. She looked at him curiously, as usual, but he hauled her out of the mini-van.  
  
"Well, what do you guys want to do first?"  
  
"Hurl-A-Whirl!" Kitty squealed. Everyone stared at her.  
  
"Right away?" Evan asked. "Man, you have to plan these things. Baby stuff first, then the monster rides."  
  
"Then where do you think we should go first?" Kitty demanded.  
  
"Well, the Love Tunnel is about as baby as it gets," Evan admitted.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Jean asked, but the other kids thought it would be a hoot. Li did not seemed excited, but she went along with the others.  
  
"Riding the love tunnel, Kitty?" The group turned to see Lance standing with an older teen- someone Kurt recognized as Gambit. He was one of Magneto's acolytes.  
  
"What's it to you Lance?" Kitty demanded. Lance held up his hand in a sign of truce.  
  
"I was only askin' 'cause it looks like you're gonna get stuck with Spyke, there." Kitty made a face.  
  
"I'm riding by myself."  
  
"Cher shouldn't ride alone in the love tunnel," the older teen said with a Cajun accent. Rogue looked surprised.  
  
"Yeah, that makes you look pathetic," Lance agreed.  
  
"What, are you saying you'd go with me?" Kitty asked, before she could process what she was saying.  
  
"Sure," Lance said, as if she had actually asked him. Kurt grinned at the look on Kitty's face. She had walked right into that one.  
  
"Fine, but keep your hands to yourself." Kitty stalked up to the old man who ran the ride, and she and Lance got into a swan boat together. Jean grudgingly agreed to go with Scott, and Evan went by himself. When Rogue sighed, the other teen addressed her.  
  
"Remy don't think such a beautiful femme should ride alone in the love tunnel." Rogue looked surprised, and she even blushed.  
  
"You don't want to ride with me," she mumbled.  
  
"Sure do, cher," Remy said, offering her his arm. Li tilted her head very slightly to one side, and remarked,  
  
"I think he likes you Rogue." Kurt had to laugh, but he smothered it when Rogue shot him a glare.  
  
"All right, I guess I can ride with you," Rogue said with a sigh. As the couple prepared to get into their swan, Kurt asked Li,  
  
"Will you ride with me?"  
  
"Certainly," she replied, and the old man got another swan for them.   
  
Kurt climbed into the boat. Li took her seat next to Kurt in the swan, and the old man started the ride. As they entered the tunnel, Li started. Surprised, and a little concerned, Kurt asked,  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I don't like the dark," Li answered in a quieter voice than usual.  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry," Kurt apologized.  
  
"It is all right. You did not know," Li told him, but her voice was a bit shaky. He placed his hand over hers.  
  
"Do not worry, mein Engel. I will not let you be harmed."  
  
"Thank you," Li said, giving him a weak smile. She fought against the tide of memories, and focused on the things inside the tunnel. A mostly naked boy appeared, pointing a bow and arrow at their path.  
  
"What is that?" Li asked Kurt.  
  
"That is a cupid. He shoots arrows at people, and makes them fall in love." Kurt was grateful for the darkness that hid his blush.  
  
"Why would he-" Li stopped midsentence and seemed to catch something out of the air. Before Kurt could ask, Li slipped out of the boat and hissed,  
  
"Get into the water, quick." Kurt stared at her, his mind filled with images of what they could do in the water. Dousing hismelf by teleporting directly into the cold water, he filed away those images for later.  
  
"Why are we-" Li placed a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Just follow me," she whispered. She slid through the water soundlessly, making Kurt reflect that she certainly was well trained. As she approached the swan ahead of them (the one that held Gambit and Rogue) she asked,  
  
"Can you swim?" A very startled Gambit looked down at her.  
  
"Where did you come from, cher?"  
  
"A madwoman's plot to create the perfect human. Can you swim?"  
  
"Sure can, cher. But Remy thinks Rogue is losin' interest." Li pushed herself up enough to inspect Rogue's slumped figure.  
  
"Put her into the water, and I will swim her to the walk. Quickly."  
  
"What is going on Li?" Kurt asked, becoming more concerned by the minute. Li gave him a dangerously penetrating look.  
  
"Tranquilizer darts. We are being targeted by someone." She caught Rogue and swam to the walk. His common sense finally catching up with him, Kurt teleported himself to the walk, and help Li to lift Rogue from the water. Gambit swam over very quickly, and hauled himself up. Li then froze the water.   
  
The ride ground to a halt, but Li was already running down the walk, to check on the other X-men on the ride. Miraculously, only Rogue had been caught by the darts. It appeared that Kitty had shoved Lance into the water, which protected them both, and since Jean and Scott were fighting, they were not in the correct positions to be caught. Evan, by riding alone, also got away.  
  
"I suggest we go back out the entrance, rather than take the exit." Scott nodded at Li's calm suggestion.  
  
"Right. Let's move." But Li aburptly tackled, him and shouted,  
  
"Down!" Then there was gunfire. Everyone hit the floor as swiftly as possible.  
  
"Are they shooting at us?" Evan demanded. Almost everyone gave him exasperated looks.  
  
"Get crawling!" Scott ordered, before anyone could make any smart remarks. The entrance seemed miles away, with the group crawling on their bellies. Though Li most likely could have outdistanced all of them easily, she stayed at the back, watching over everyone. Finally she muttered,  
  
"This is ridiculous." She stood and pointed her hands at the gunmen. Kurt had caught glimpses of their silhouettes, and he did not recognize them.  
  
Li flinched once, but, as the ice shot out to encapsulate the gunmen, everyone was too busy scrambling up to their feet to process the fact. They ran for the exit, Kurt staying with Li. She pushed the men into the wall, and left them there, suspended off the ground, and covered in ice.  
  
Kurt caught her hand, but Li pointed to the entrance, meaning that he should only take them that far. Agreeing with her mentally, he took them to the entrance. They scrambled out behind the other X-Men, and Gambit and Lance.  
  
"I'm outta here," Lance informed the group. He motioned for Gambit to follow.  
  
"Remy just wanna be sure cher is okay," Gambit insisted.  
  
"All right people, let's get out of here before the cops show up," Scott ordered.  
  
"Hey, we were the ones being shot at," Evan protested. Scott gave him a glare and gestured towards the cars. Gambit stayed with Rogue, and Kurt could not be detached from Li.  
  
It was not until the kids were unloading themselves from the van that anyone realized Li had been injured. Jean saw that her seat was very wet. Immediately, she told Kurt to take Li to the infirmary.  
  
"It is only bullet wounds," Li told Jean.  
  
"You were shot?!"  
  
"Twice, yes." Before Jean could explode, Kurt took Li's hand in his, and teleported them to the infirmary. It gave him a chance to look her over himself. Li gave him her curious her expression.  
  
"Why did you not say you were hurt, mein Engel?"  
  
"I am not hurt. I am injured, but I am not in pain," Li attempted, but her explanation only confused Kurt more. Gently, he inspected her arms, searching for the wound.  
  
"That is not where I am wounded," Li told him, and pulled up her shirt to expose her chest. Kurt stared at her naked chest for a moment, and then he clapped a hand over his eyes.  
  
"Putyourshirtdown!Putyourshirtdown!Putyourshirtdown!"  
  
"Why?" he heard Li ask. As he fumbled for some way to explain, someone came in.  
  
*Please don't let it be Scott,* Kurt prayed. It seemed there was something in God's ear, because the next thing Kurt heard was,  
  
"What the Hell are you two doing?!"  
  
"I was showing Kurt my injuries," Kurt heard Li say.  
  
"What was he going to do? Kiss them and make them better?!"  
  
"Why would he do that?" Li asked curiously. Tired of only listening, Kurt slowly lowered his hand from his eyes. Luckily, Li now had her shirt down again. Jean chose this moment to walk in.  
  
"All right, let's take care of those wounds," she said, putting on a pair of latex gloves. "Off with the shirt please."  
  
Scott dragged Kurt out of the infirmary at that point. Li watched them go. She looked to Jean, and asked in a confused tone,  
  
"Why did they leave?"  
  
"Because, you were taking your shirt off."  
  
"Why does that matter?" Li asked, removing her shirt.  
  
"You would be naked." Jean hoped that might settle the question, but she did not count on the fact that Li was a very curious person.  
  
"I do not understand. We are naked beneath our clothing, are we not?"  
  
"Well, yes. . . But it isn't socially acceptable to be naked, except in certain situations."  
  
"When is that?" Li asked. Jean was carefully inspecting the two wounds, and took her time to respond. After bandaging the injuries, Jean directed Li to put her shirt back on.  
  
"I guess no one ever explained this to you, so I'll have to do it. Do you know about sex yet?"  
  
"I understand the process of human copulation, yes." Jean took a moment process what Li meant while the cyborg-girl took a seat beside her on the infirmary bed.  
  
"Oh. All right, bear with me, then. The only people you should have sex with are people you really trust, and want to. Because part of having sex is being naked, people are only naked when they are alone, or with someone when having sex. So, you shouldn't just be naked in front of anyone."  
  
"Because this is not socially acceptable?"  
  
"Yes. Do you think you can do that?" Jean congratulated herself on not blushing even once. "I know this is very new to you."  
  
"I can understand it. Humans are very strange creatures," Li noted. Laughing, Jean agreed,  
  
"Yes, yes we are." 


End file.
